OIL-FLOODED VESSEL.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 232, 1 October 1929, Page 8

OIL-FLOODED VESSEL.

«A STICKY BLACK STREAM.''

PASSENGERS'' • EXPERIENCES. LOSS-OF'PERSONAL'EFFECTS. Strangers 1 in a; strange land, and havinw few effects other than those in which they stood. ■ • • That was how Mr. and Mrs. T. H. E. Cakes and their little daughter stepped foot on New Zealand soil this morning, when they arrived iu .Auckland by the TJlimaroa. En route from 1 England,, -where Mr. pakes "was attached, to the. Royal Artillery, they,.were unfortunate, enoaigh to have the bulk of. their icl'otli-; ing ruined., by oll>.-'when' the O. liner, Baiadinej' was refuelling, at ColOinbO., ' ■•'■'?:' '*• ' . . ;. • \ Eighty other passengers oh the 'vessel suffered/ similar loss. The oil,' as'the result of a. defective valve, flooded the. lower decks and many of the cabins, ■while passengers blissfully ignorant of the mishap were ashore enjoying a round of the sights. As-a result they 'were unable to salvage any of their belongings.- ■ ' . :: ' ..'• • ■ • ; "Wo lost dvoi , ' £100. of personal be-longings-as-we had ■ practically all: our trunks in our cabin," stated Mr3.Oakcs. "When.we found out what had happened ■we wanted: to get' down to our cabins, but we were not allowed ; to dp so; The oil was two feet 4eep-: on, the floors, and it looked liko a black stream. The, defective pipe did the damage on a Friday night, and the trouble was that we could not get into our cabins until the Monday, by which time the worst of the oil had been cleared away. Everything -was then absolutely soaked in oil. There was an awful lot of looting by the native, crew, and one of my husband's cases was sliced open. That was where . the real troubled came in." . Mr. and Mrs. Oakes are hopeful of recovering their loss, by insurance on their effects. Mi , . .Oakei has como to New Zealand for: health reasons, and it is more than probable that he will settle in -the Dominion after having a good look round. ■ His sister is Lady Orford, who arrived in Auckland last October. Other passengers of the Ulimaroa, ■who were also on the Baradine, are Miss Cocks, Mrs. Sarah Brown, and Mr. and Mrs. Hardy and family. The effects of the Hardys and. Mrs. Brown, however, were not affected as they had cabins <m the top decks. "Only the C and D decks-had oil in them,'* said Mrs. Brown. "It all happened in seven minutes, and the trouble was caused through a. defective pipe. I was in a deck cabiu, and •was fortunate enough to miss everything."